Fallen to Despair
by Silius1
Summary: What would happen if the Senryaku Unit was never formed? Will Karen and Katsuo be able to get by without emotional assistance of the members: Amaterasu, Ulrich, and Elena? What would happen to Katsuo if Karen perished in battle? Please read and review. Not the best Summary I know, but I was in a small slump when writing it. OCxYuuki


What if the following factors occurred:

Senryaku was never formed, Ulrich never came to Aincrad, Amaterasu and Sylvia never played Sword Art Online, and Yuuki was in Aincrad. Will the absence of the Senryaku Unit have significant changes on the members that were in it?

This is AU compared to my Code series, one of the most significant is that Katsuo, Karen, and Yuuki are childhood friends, with Karen and Yuuki being step sisters. Karen and Katsuo are sixteen while Yuuki is fifteen in this one-shot. Lastly: Dates are randomized, simple as that.

Warning: There is mild swearing in this story.

Lastly: I need to give credit to Mikashimotaku for betaing this story.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [10:00] July 15, 2023

Location: [Floor 47 – Floria]

Three players that have been working together since the start of the game are relaxing near the flower fields in the plaza: Masaru, Solaris, and Zekken, or rather: Katsuo, Karen, and Yuuki.

"...God do I feel out of place here..." Katsuo says with a nervous laugh, as people are staring in mild envy at the fact that two of the most beautiful girls in Aincrad are with Katsuo hanging at the settlement designed for couples.

"Hehe, are you actually embarrassed being here with two girls?" Yuuki asks her trembling companion.

"Look around, I can tell that the people here are green with envy..." Katsuo says anxiously, glancing around the plaza to see A LOT of people staring at him and his two female colleagues.

"Don't let it bother you Katsuo. We're pretty much stuck here until the scouts come back. Let's just enjoy our break as much as we can." Karen says in her usual emotionless tone.

"I suppose you're right" Katsuo says, agreeing with his friend on this statement.

"Anyway, since we're going to be here a while, I'm going to get some food. I'll be back in ten minutes." Karen says, walking toward the gate to teleport to floor 24, where her house is.

"Well, now that Karen's gone...When are you going to ask her out? You've always been telling me you were going to since floor 15." Yuuki asks with confidence, smirking at the rose red color his face is developing.

"I...I can't work up the courage to ask her. She's been a good friend to me ever since we were born, I don't want to risk destroying our friendship." Katsuo mutters, feeling embarrassed over the fact Yuuki has asked him this question so bluntly.

"I can understand that" Yuuki says calmly. "Anyway, if you ever need help, just let me know. I'm more than willing to try helping in your crusade of love," Yuuki says with a laugh, especially with the scowl Katsuo is sending her way.

"Not funny Yuuki. Not funny at all!" Katsuo growls rather angrily.

"Hehe, gomen gomen. I needed a little laugh." Yuuki says in a bubbly tone. "But I am serious Katsuo, you two have been totally depressed for a long time, you both deserve some happiness."

"...Thanks I guess. When this floor is cleared, I think I'll try to confess then."

"Good to hear, if you need help, just let me know."

"...I'll consider it, I'm only _possibly_ confessing."

"_...Karen, you really ought to thank me. I'm holding back since we're step-sisters... I hate being in situations like this._" Yuuki thinks to herself, feeling a hint of anger and envy that she's going the extra mile not to make a move on Katsuo since her step-sister likes him.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [13:00] July 15, 2023

Location: [Floor 47 – Boss Chamber]

Karen, Katsuo, and the other clearers are fighting the boss: Arcana, with it being take the shape of a giant version of a Mandrake. Typically, Yuuki would be with Karen and Katsuo as well, having always fought side-by-side in all of the boss battles. But Yuuki wished to stay behind to work on a feast for Karen and Katsuo as an incentive for them to do their best this time around.

"Okay everyone; it's time to kill this boss! Move out!" Karen exclaims with remarkable charisma, having been a leader ever since the 'game' began.

The clearers fight the boss rather strategically, until it loses half of its HP and turns into a new form which resembles a plant warrior with two swords being made out of the petals from its first form.

"Everyone, focus on defense!" Karen states seriously.

Katsuo is keeping a strong grip on the two handed sword made by Lisbeth: Tycho, a rose red blade and an aquamarine colored guard. He tries his very best to inflict as much damage as possible, though Arcana's rapid speed is making it difficult for him and the other clearers to deal damage. During the battle, he notices Arcana rapidly charging toward Karen, causing Katsuo to hurry to Arcana's location to save Karen.

"Karen! Run!" Katsuo shouts, using his sprint skill to reach Karen, but he is sadly unable to protect Karen from the heavy barrage of attacks from Arcana's dual blades.

"KAREN!" Katsuo shouts in anger and sadness, seeing Karen explodes into pixels from the barrage of attacks. "No...No...!" Katsuo shrieks, in utter dismay, with him developing great anger and slashes Arcana to oblivion, keeping it paralyzed by the heavy amount of attacks Katsuo is dealing.

Katsuo receives the last attack bonus item which is a necklace called Howling Crown which has only one purpose, aside from gold, which is to augment the Unique Skill: Sleuth, with its owner having just died.

"Damn it...No! This is torture..." Katsuo says sadly, breaking down into tears. "...this item was designed for her...go to fucking hell, Kayaba! I will never forgive you for this! I will make sure you die a painful death you god damn bastard!" Katsuo exclaims bitterly, utterly pissed off at the mockery this Last Attack bonus gave him and the fact Karen just died.

"Katsuo...try to calm down..." A fellow clearer: Haruka says quietly in fear of his sudden anger, with everyone in the area feeling great sadness because Karen was just killed.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Katsuo yells very angrily, with a good deal of tears running down his face, causing Haruka to take a few steps back out of fear. The sudden shout surprises everyone in the room, with them looking in his direction with sympathy. "Haruka...I...Sorry..." Katsuo says in a whimper, feeling heartbroken about having the girl he was about to confess to suddenly die.

"Katsuo...I understand your pain. Karen was a very good friend to us all; no one will ever be able to replace her." Haruka tells him, with tears running down her face as well at the death of the person she considered her idol. "Look, Katsuo, I want you to take some time off, understood?" Haruka says sadly, finding it difficult to voice that sentence despite her typical bravery among the clearers and the Aincrad Liberation Force.

"...Sure..." Katsuo says in a crestfallen tone, going through the opened door to floor 48 so he can use the gate to teleport back to his house.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [16:00] July 15, 2023

Location: [Floor 24 – Yuuki's House]

Katsuo slowly walks into the house he, Karen, and Yuuki own. He hears Yuuki in the main dining room, with her apparently hearing Katsuo walking in.

"You've been gone a long time Karen, Katsuo. Then again, fighting bosses is never easy" Yuuki says in an upbeat tone, appearing in front of Katsuo rather quickly. "...Where's Karen?" Yuuki asks curiously.

Katsuo is only able to let out a mild moan, feeling like crap at the current moment. It was painful having lost one of his childhood friends; especially when he was about to confess his feelings to her.

"Katsuo, where's Karen?" Yuuki asks gravely.

"She...She's...dead." Katsuo says very slowly, starting to break down into tears yet again.

"Karen...Dead...? No... Please tell me you're joking around..." Yuuki pleads desperately, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I wish I was...I saw her die right in front of me. I was going to confess when we got to floor 48. Damn you Kayaba!" Katsuo curses, with tears running down his face.

Yuuki then embraces Katsuo to try cheering him up while trying to relieve her own sadness after losing her older step-sister. She has a strong feeling that a system message appeared in Katsuo's field of vision about the manner violation prevention code, which would send Yuuki to the Black Iron Prison if he so wished, but he is making no effort to try such a thing.

"Yuuki..." Katsuo says weakly, not having much will to talk.

"I am sad that my sister is dead; but she wouldn't want us to be like this, she would want us to live."

Katsuo merely sighs and walks over to the den, with Yuuki following him.

"Katsuo, I don't know if this will help but..." Yuuki mumbles softly before pressing her lips against Katsuo's, making his eyes widen in utter shock.

After a moment passes, Yuuki steps back slightly and notices the shocked expression on his face.

"W-W-What...was that...?" Katsuo asks stutteringly, at a loss for words at Yuuki's sudden kiss.

"Sorry Katsuo, I thought what I did would help you. It seems like it had the opposite effect." Yuuki says apologetically, lightly blushing over what she just did. "_...Sorry Nee-chan, I hope you aren't too angry with me over this..._"

"It... It's not that it didn't help it's just...really sudden. You just did that so...quickly." Katsuo says, a nervous blush all over his face.

"I see" Yuuki replies calmly, still flushed from the fact she kissed Katsuo. "To be truthfully honest, I've liked you for a very long time, but I knew Karen-nee-chan liked you more. I had to repress my feelings for you. I don't want to consider it a positive but...with her gone, I can make a move without hurting my sister."

"Yuuki..."

"Katsuo, I truly do love you. Trying to help you connect with Karen was my own way of managing with my own feelings."

"Yuuki, I may have feelings of my own toward you but...this is not the best time for me to deal with romance."

"...I understand." Yuuki says quietly.

Katsuo then leaves the house rather discouraged over the situation, wanting to try clearing his head.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [18:00] December 24, 2023

Location: [Floor 59 – Danac]

Katsuo has been highly depressed ever since July when Karen lost her life to Arcana. He has more or less restrained himself to Danac out of depression when the frontliners have progressed ten floors. Katsuo's currently laying down on a pew in the village's church, as he doesn't feel as comfortable sleeping in the house back in Panareze. There are too many memories of his past there. Despite his strong skill at detection, he's unable to tell that someone is approaching him.

"Katsuo, what are you doing here alone in this empty church?" Yuuki asks worriedly. She hasn't seen Katsuo once since he left their house that very day back in July.

"Yuuki..." Katsuo says in a pained tone, having become a social outcast since July. Holding conversations is difficult for him, even to his closest friends: Haruka, Mamoru, Kazuto, Keiko, and Yuuki. "I've been staying here at nights since PKers can't kill me while I'm in this church and the system locks this place at night."

Yuuki sits down by Katsuo with him squirming away somewhat, having grown fearful of people.

"Katsuo, your friends are worried about you. We've been trying to find you for a long time now." Yuuki says emotionally, having missed Katsuo since he suddenly left five months ago.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here...I'm not the person they once knew, I can't bring myself to face any of them..." Katsuo says, rather crestfallen about his life.

"Katsuo, I need to show you something. It's important" Yuuki says in a serene tone, opening her inventory and bringing out a single teal colored diamond item. She then touches it, and it turns a light sea green color, with a message begins playing with Karen's voice, to Katsuo's surprise.

"_**I made specific directions for this Record Crystal when I sent it to you, so if you receive this Yuuki, it means that I am dead. Listen to me when I say that I consider you and Katsuo to be the closest people in my entire life. You two may not be related to me by blood, but you have been far better to me during our time in Aincrad than my real family, and I would not trade it for anything. Anyway, Katsuo, I imagine you are going to be heavily depressed over my dying, and I'd hate to see you like that. I can also anticipate that you'll feel guilty over being unable to protect me, so I wish to say this: Everyone dies at some point Katsuo. I don't want you beating **__**yourself up over it, you have always protected me with all your strength, so do not think you are useless. I want you to live your life to the fullest, just the way we always have during our life.**_"

Katsuo begins sobbing at this point, hearing Karen's final message, with Yuuki being mildly nonchalant, apparently having heard this message before.

"_**Yuuki, from now on, you have free rein to do what you wish, after all, I'm not in your way anymore. If you want to chase after him, don't hold back. Don't let a dead woman keep you from your hopes and dreams Yuuki. Take care of yourself Imouto, Katsuo. I will be sure to watch over you both for eternity. Sore wa yakusokudesu.**_" (Author Note's: Sore wa yakusokudesu = That is a promise.)

The crystal stops and turns teal again, Yuuki returns it to her inventory. Katsuo cries even more, hearing his childhood friend's final words and that she holds no animosity toward him.

"...Damn it...A part of me wished she hated me...It would've been easier for me to cope." Katsuo says with a great deal of melancholy in his tone, feeling depressed.

Yuuki embraces Katsuo, trying to cheer her childhood friend up from the funk he's been suffering from.

"Katsuo, it'll be okay, I'm here for you" Yuuki says maternally, lightly rubbing Katsuo's head to try soothing him.

"...I don't deserve this kindness Yuuki. I've abandoned all of you..."

"Katsuo, everyone's worried about you. Haruka, Keiko, and I miss you the most. We've been trying to find you for ages."

"Yuuki, I told you already. I don't-" Katsuo tries to say before Yuuki interrupts him with her pressing her lips against him, just like the time in Panareze.

She pulls away after this, glances in his direction and blushes rather embarrassedly.

"Yuuki...why do you love a guy like me? I abandoned you and everyone when they needed me. I got a lot of private messages over the last few months begging for my help with the clearers, but I constantly refused them all...!" Katsuo asks, having been feeling broken emotionally since Karen died.

"Katsuo, you're one of my childhood friends. I know that you become completely withdrawn when you're sad. Look, even Karen wants you to get over her death and live life."

"...Yuuki, I can't get over the fact Karen's dead. It's something I need to live with for the rest of my life..." Katsuo says, looking down in depression, before getting lightly slapped by Yuuki. When Katsuo looks in her direction, she looks very pissed off.

"Katsuo, you need to stop being so depressed! You need to learn to let go of the past and live! Karen would be outright pissed off by your behavior right now." Yuuki says in an infuriated tone, growling repeatedly at him.

Katsuo only glances at her, who is actually calling him out rather aggressively on his withdrawn attitude.

"Okay...I got that out of my system. Sorry if I scared you Katsuo, but Karen or I always had to yell at you to break you out of these shells of yours." Yuuki says apologetically.

"It's...it's okay." Katsuo mutters in a downcast tone, staring at the ground. "I do want to see everyone but after five months, I can't bring myself to face any of them."

"Katsuo, the only thing keeping you from reuniting with everyone is you. They desperately want to see you, but you've been hiding from everyone for the longest time."

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [19:00] December 24, 2023

Location: [Floor 59 – Danac Church]

"Either way... We can't leave tonight, the church is locked for the night. We ought to get comfy." Katsuo says, walking to one of the side doors with Yuuki in tow.

"Where are you going?"

"The guest quarters, the church takes in people down under their luck there. I've been spending my nights there since we made it to this floor."

The pair walks through the church and walk into a room with two beds

"I've been sleeping here in this room for the longest time. Let's get some rest."

"S-Sure..."

They lay down on the two beds and after about a half hour, Yuuki speaks up again "Hey Katsuo, you know that tomorrow's Christmas right? It'll make your reunion perfect. I'm going to send a PM to your friends for them to meet us in Myugen."

"So looking forward to that..." Katsuo replies sarcastically.

"Katsuo, don't be snarky, they all miss you." Yuuki states mildly angry. "Anyway...if you'd be willing... Eto..."

"What's up Yuuki? You're not the type to hesitate."

"Well...I've been saving Col for about two months now. I've been planning something special." Yuuki says, blushing slightly.

"Something special?"

"Um...well...I'm going to be in an... Ingame-wedding soon." Yuuki says, fully blushing at this point.

"Really. Are you sponsoring it for someone?"

"Not exactly..." Yuuki says quietly. "_Katsuo...Please figure it out! I'm going to be embarrassed as hell if I have to explain..._"

"Are you attending the wedding Yuuki?"

"Essentially yes," Yuuki says with a smile.

"Are you a guest or bridesmaid?"

"_Katsuo..._" Yuuki thinks to herself, mentally crying at his naivety. Finally, she says "...No..."

"Then...Y-you're the bride?"

"Yes, you finally got it..." Yuuki says with a sigh, feeling pretty flushed.

"Congratulations Yuuki, who's the lucky man?"

"_Oh god...ARE you serious?! Katsuo, you are so naïve...I even told you that I love you..._" "...Katsuo, do I need to draw a picture for you?" Yuuki asks bluntly.

"...That confirmed my theory. You sure you're fine with me? Even after I abandoned you and everyone else...?"

"Katsuo...you left me alone so long when Karen died. There's no else in this world I know for real, no one I can truly trust aside from you." Yuuki says quietly, before sending PMs to Kazuto, Haruka, Keiko, and Mamoru about Katsuo's location. She then opens multiple chat windows, allowing Yuuki, Kazuto, Haruka, Keiko, and Mamoru to speak simultaneously and allow everyone to see the incoming PMs.

"**Kazuto, Haruka, Keiko, Mamoru. I found Katsuo, come meet us tomorrow at Myugen plaza, nine in the morning.**"

"**Yuuki, where has Katsuo been hiding all this time?**" Mamoru asks in his PM.

"**He's been staying in the Panareze Church. I only recently managed to get him to agree to meet you all. He's still emotionally withdrawn and scarred over Karen's death. He's not ready for the extent of socialization he was at back in Floria, so try to take it easy guys. He was reluctant but I got him to open up to me, but god was he nervous about it.**"

"**He's still haunted by that? I thought everyone has moved on from that.**" Kazuto asks rather bluntly.

"**Kazuto, Katsuo is emotionally frail, always has been. He lost one of his childhood friends, so do you expect him to be happy-go-lucky?**" Yuuki says in the PM, lightly growling.

"**Anyway... Is the wedding plan still on? I truly want to be a bridesmaid, even if this world is virtual, hehe.**" Haruka says in her PM, seemingly happy considering the message.

"**Such things are hardly needed in this world Haruka, but if that's what you want, so be it,**" Yuuki responds with an inaudible laugh.

"**Thank you Yuuki.**"

"**But is Katsuo-san going to be able to handle it? If he's in the shape you described, this could be bad for him.**" Keiko asks, presumedly worried about the situation.

"**I'll make it work somehow. Karen and I were sort of used to these things, but I will admit this is the first time we've run into a scenario like this.**"

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [9:00] December 25, 2023

Location: [Floor 49 – Myugen Plaza]

Katsuo and Yuuki are in the plaza, across from Kazuto, Haruka, Keiko, and Mamoru, with looks of concern on all four of them. Katsuo is the only one not prepared for heavy snow, with him wearing casual clothing, which Mamoru quickly rectifies by lightly tossing him a crimson red colored fur cloak, with Katsuo accepting solely because he's freezing at the current moment.

Katsuo is only able to sigh in embarrassment, seeing people he more or less abandoned.

"You doing alright Katsuo?" Mamoru asks casually, with a hint of concern.

"...What do you think...?" Katsuo asks quietly, with a hint of anger being evident.

"Katsuo-san, you've had all of us worried ever since Floria. You cut off contact with everyone that day." Keiko says worriedly.

"...Gomenasai." Katsuo says very quietly, feeling awkward about talking with these five.

Yuuki, Kazuto, Keiko, Haruka, and Mamoru exchange glances before grouping together to talk silently.

"_Yuuki, you sure about this? He may not be mentally ready._" Mamoru asks worriedly.

"_I don't like forcing the issue, but this may very well be what he needs to recover from the shock of losing Karen._"

"_You sure?_" Haruka asks curiously.

"_As his childhood friend, I just want him to be happy, just like he was before. And in a manner of speaking, weddings are the happiest time for anyone._"

"_Though, you certainly made it a bit...sudden, Yuuki._"

Around now, Katsuo walks toward the five rather quietly.

"I don't really mind...I just want to redeem myself in front of you all..."

"Katsuo...Are you sure?" Haruka asks worriedly, recalling the incident back on Floor 47, when Katsuo lost control of his anger and sadness.

"Like I said...I want to redeem myself, if it's humanely possible"

"Then you have no problem with marriage?" Keiko asks in mild surprise.

"If it's what it takes, so be it."

"...Now I suddenly feel conflicted about it all." Yuuki says with a light moan.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [12:00] December 25, 2023

Location: [Floor 49 – Myugen Church]

Mamoru, Haruka, Kazuto, and Keiko are attending the rather secretive wedding between Yuuki and Katsuo, with the quartet feeling mildly creeped out by all the secrecy of this event.

"I'm happy these two are going to be together in this game but...this secrecy is making it seem like we're doing something criminal..." Haruka says quietly.

"You're just being paranoid little sis, but I can kinda see why you'd think so." Mamoru replies calmly.

"I suppose..."

"Don't ruin the moment you all. This is a special day." Keiko whispers to the pair.

"Sorry..." They both say.

The rest of the wedding goes on without a problem, with Yuuki and Katsuo going to a new house Yuuki bought on floor 50 in Algade, as Katsuo wasn't truly ready for the reintegration with the players yet.

* * *

Aincrad Standard Time: [18:00] December 25, 2023

Location: [Floor 50 – Yuuki's House]

"It's hard for me to believe I've been staying in the church for weeks or even months on end..."

"Well Katsuo, when you're ready, we can try building your levels so we can fight on the frontlines, like we used to."

"Not today if possible, it's getting late."

"Fair enough. I actually have three gifts for you; two of them are the tradition of Christmas, with the last one being...an engagement present." Yuuki says, beginning to blush.

Yuuki opens her inventory and places a single sword, shield, and an entire armor set on the table the both of them are sitting at. The sword has a silver colored blade with a crimson red guard, the shield is also crimson red with gold trims, with the armor being colored black and red.

"Woah...these three look incredible, what are they?"

"The sword and shield are part of a set which, believe it or not, is called Paradise's Embrace. The armor is called Elven Lava. I've had the both of these since floor 55. These three don't suit my style much, so I was keeping them in storage until I got to see you again."

"Wow..." Katsuo says in surprise, inspecting the three items to find that they still have max durability, not having lost even .001 percent. "You weren't kidding when you said you never used these, it's in mint condition."

"Of course, I'm not the lying type. Anyway, let's eat, then get some shut-eye. We're going to be very busy over the next few weeks since I need to get you up to speed."

"Hehe...there's your old self, Yuuki. A part of me has missed it since I left." Katsuo says with a small laugh.

"And I see that you're already starting to sound like yourself again. You've been such a downer." Yuuki says laughingly.

"...I actually did miss you a lot Yuuki. I did want to see you while I was...withdrawn. But a part of me was scared that you'd be outright pissed because of the fact I abandoned everyone..."

"I could never hate you Katsuo, one of the only things keeping me going was that you were alive somewhere. When this month began, I got Mamoru, Kazuto, Keiko, and Haruka together to search for you. We were searching five floors a day trying to find you. The fact I found you in Panareze was because I heard from some NPCs in the town that a swordsman has been staying in the church for over two months. I took a gamble and investigated the church and found you."

"...I feel like an absolute ass now..." Katsuo mumbles crestfallen.

Yuuki lightly rubs Katsuo's head to try cheering him up, "Katsuo, we went to this effort because you're our friend. Like I've been saying, we all missed you. Having you among the frontliners again will raise morale for a lot of people, it'll be a blast from the past so to speak."

"I know I'll have hell to pay for when I return to the frontlines...A lot of people were asking for my help and I refused them."

"And I'll be there to help you reconcile your link to them, as your in-game wife and childhood friend, I have an obligation to do so." Yuuki says happily.

"Thank you Yuuki. I may need that optimism of yours if I plan to restore my bond with everyone..."

"That'll be no problem. Friends help each other as a principle, and that gives me two principles to help you as much as possible."

"Arigatou...Yuuki."

* * *

Readers, I actually would like you to comment/review on whether you want me to keep this as a one-shot, or make more than one chapter.


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